In Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup action, it’s a win or lose situation; the team that earns a win moves on to the next round. As Chivas USA prepare to face the Carolina RailHawks this Wednesday, June 12 at WakeMed Soccer Park, there’s one player in the current squad that knows what the Red-and-White will be going up against, and that’s midfielder Laurent Courtois.

In last year’s Open Cup run, the Goats faced the RailHawks, also in the Fourth Round, and defeated the NASL-side in a dramatic 2-1 victory on June 5, 2012, with Courtois in the starting line-up. A little over a year later, Courtois is ready to earn a spot in the Chivas line-up, and once again, lead his team to victory.

“We’re really excited. At this point in the competition, we want the game to be won and move on to the next level but we don’t underestimate this team [Carolina RailHawks]. We played them last year and they’re pretty solid, so we expect a tough game over there. We’ve had a couple of days of preparation and hopefully we’ll be ready to compete,” Courtois told cdchivasusa.com prior to travelling to North Carolina.

In comparison to last year’s roster, several Red-and-White players will be facing the RailHawks for the first time. For someone like Courtois, who has already faced the RailHawks and has experience in Open cup action, he knows what it will take in order for the Goats to earn a win this Wednesday in North Carolina.

“It’s very different. You can’t have those feelings that, in a few games, you can reach something huge. The tournament [U.S. Open Cup] is between Major League Soccer games, so it’s kind of different to prepare mentally. When you reach this point of the competition, you get excited and focus on what can be done and hopefully we get the result that we deserve,” Courtois finalized.